Keys to Effective Communication Essays

Keys to Effective Communication Essays Keys to Effective Communication Essay Keys to Effective Communication Essay Keys to Effective Communication Name: Institution: Keys to Effective Communication Self The effect of attitudes on communication by communicators is portrayed well in the video. An example of this would be Dr. Blalock who has traits of being confident and educated. The book by Russel and Cohn (2012) portrays him as a cardiologist showing his self-confident nature (Russel Cohn, 2012). The way he carries himself and communicates with the other characters aptly brings out these elements. When Vivien Thomas is portrayed as an ambitious and persistent man It is seen that self-confidence, self-awareness and self-esteem affect the way communicators communicate. Dr. Blalock is sterner and commandeering in his speech, which is because of his personality traits. Even when the other doctors told him that he would fail in the surgical procedure, Dr. Blalock never once doubted himself. Rosenberg (2003) shows in his book how personal traits affect communication (Rosenberg, 2003). Communicators self-monitor their behavior well. The characters are able to change their behavior to suit the given environment. Vivien brings this out well by being able to have somewhat of a dual personality when at work and home. When at work he is always busy learning or performing surgery. He is never seen to have any down time. While at home or with his family, he comes off as being a loving husband, father and son and thus his demeanor changes. Others Over time, the communicators are able to fully understand, respect and adapt to each other, for example, the relationship between Dr. Blalock and Vivien. In the beginning of the video, they were strangers. However, as the video progressed, they grew to have a mutual respect for each other and became more than just colleagues but also friends. When Dr. Blalock passed on, it was evident from Vivien’s mannerisms and expression that he was deeply saddened. The communicators blatantly display such messages in the scenes where Vivien is racially abused, and when he is made to sign in when he enters John Hopkins hospital because of his race. The video is rife with such messages to bring out segregation and the civil rights movement in the United States at that time. Communicators are aware and adapt to their messages of gender, age, race, ethnic background and socio-economic status of others. The communicators bring this out. This is because the video shows that there are issues of gender inequality and racial discrimination. For instance, Harold’s death threats because of the teachers’ strike. Purpose Each communicator’s goal is character development in order to bring out the themes and main story of the video. This is the story of a young and hardworking man who was able to overcome diversity and become the doctor he always wanted to be. Vivien clearly states his purpose in the beginning of the video during his interaction with Dr. Blalock when he asked who he is. Vivien tells the doctor how his dream is to become a doctor, which he eventually achieves. Furthermore, Dr. Blalock gives a speech to make Hopkins better. This achievement is evident as Hopkins is the first hospital to pioneer in cardiac surgery. Dr. Blalock is seen to be very persuasive since he convinces the necessary people that Vivien should be given a pay raise. In addition, he convinces the Saxons that their baby should have the surgery despite the fact that it has never been performed before. Communicators combine cultural understanding with observations to set appropriate communicative goals. This is because Vivien was African American. Dr. Blalock was able to understanding with him when Vivien would tell him about the problems he was facing. He also took note of how others treated Vivien. Context Each communicator has adapted to the communication circumstances and setting. An example is the dialogue between Dr. Blalock and Vivien, which is full of medical jargon when in the setting of the hospital. Each communicator was able to change the way they talked or interacted with their changing environments. Content Whenever communicators are seen trying to put across a point, more often than not, they begin with a back-story that relates to their current situation. For instance, when Dr Blalock is operating on the dog, he relates it to a boy who may have fallen from a tree trying to rescue a cat. This is to show that the work they are currently doing on the animals will be able to save human lives. Furthermore, when Dr. Blalock and Vivien were discussing on how to cure the disease for ‘blue babies’, Vivien related their present situation to the procedure on how they would perform surgery on the dogs and from that, they were able to come up with a way. Finally, how Dr. Blalock passion to do medicine came when he contracted TB as a child. Structure Communicators have not effectively organized the components of their messages, organized their messages to promote credibility, empathy, comprehension, interest, persuasion, and/or inspiration. This is because, in some scenes, in the movie, the doctors use racially derogatory names when referring to Vivien. They have done this by making their messages personal and relatable to people. This is demonstrated when Dr. Taussig persuades Dr. Blalock to help her find a cure for ‘blue babies’. She tells Blalock of how many babies die due to it, and she is confident in her belief that it is curable. Vivien’s father also futilely tries to persuade his son Harold to call off the teachers strike due to his father’s plight. Expression Communicator’s questions are straight to the point, and the answers are clear and concise. This brings out in the beginning of the video when Dr. Blalock is asking Vivien who he is. Yes, the communicators express them effectively. They are able to use non-verbal cues to express how they are feeling even though the other party may or may not notice it. When Dr. Blalock tells Mrs. Saxon about the procedure, she is clenching her hands into a tight fist to show worry and anxiety. She also displays these same emotions when doing the actual procedure and she is paces up and down. Communicators aptly use both verbal and nonverbal delivery to convey their messages for instance during the incident of the smoke drum, it is evident from Dr. Blalock mannerisms and speech that he had surely lost him temper. Furthermore, when Dr. Blalock asks Vivien to pick up the beakers with the clamps, from his expression, he was clearly impressed and intrigued about the person who he had not known very well, and was curious about what other talents he possessed. References Russel, J., Cohn, R. (2012). Something The Lord Made. USA: Book on Demand Publishers Rosenberg, M. B. (2003). Non-violent Communication: A language of life: create your life, your relationships your world in harmony with your values. Encinitas, Calif: Puddle Dancer.